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Another Whedonverse alum is joining Agents of SHIELD (the more, the merrier!) – Amy Acker! She will be appearing on at least one episode this spring as the cellist Coulson was dating before the events of The Avengers. Are you excited by this casting choice? Do you think Fred will share any scenes with Gunn? What other Whedonverse actors would you love to see on the show?

I actually yelled “Yes!” amid a group of friends when I saw this news! So glad to hear that The Mindy Project has been renewed! New Girl was a given and Brooklyn Nine-Nine a strong contender for renewal, so I wasn’t surprised they were included. I was a bit disappointed at the renewal of The Following, as the show doesn’t interested me at all, and I’ve seen some less-than-stellar reviews of it. Almost Human is a far more deserving drama.

It remains to be seen whether bubble show Almost Human and awesome but struggling Enlisted will be granted renewals as well. Fox has three extra hours to fill next year with the cancellation of The X Factor, but has already ordered 3 dramas and 2 comedies to series from their list of prospective pilots.

The TARDIS is getting a new occupant! Samuel Anderson is joining Doctor Who on a reoccurring basis for series 8. His character’s name is Danny Pink, and he’s a teacher at Coal Hill School, where we saw Clara teaching at the beginning of the anniversary episode.

I’m pretty excited by this bit of casting news, probably the best I’ve heard since David and Billie were announced to be back for the special. Glad to see there will be a young guy around to help us transition to an older Doctor! Might there be a bit of romance in the air for Clara? I don’t know if this photo indicates Pink’s look or not, but if so, I highly approve!

Okay, this ABC comedy pilot just became a must-watch if it makes it to series! Not only is Karen Gillan (Doctor Who’s Amy Pond) starring, but it’s from the same mind behind the hilarious Suburgatory. Also, with Gillan’s character being named Eliza Dooley, I’m guessing they have some “My Fair Lady” homages up their sleeves?

So last Sunday, while I was watching the latest episode of The Walking Dead, I was watching the Governor escape death while he was cornered by zombies in a warehouse (no thanks to Andrea.) At this precise moment I began to think, It seems that there are a lot of characters on The Walking Dead that manage to escape death, that realistically shouldn’t have.

Now I understand that if a character died every time they faced a difficult situation, The Walking Dead probably wouldn’t have made it past Season 1. However for the sake of argument, I have assembled a list of five characters that should have died earlier than they did, or should be dead now.

Let’s begin…

5. Merle Dixon

Let’s be honest, during the zombie apocalypse, there are not an abundance of doctors at your disposal. It would be foolish for one to think that someone could cut their arm off, on the roof of a building, surrounded by zombies; and survive. Now this may be a credit to Merle’s character, but our favorite racist would have died for sure.

4. The Governor

Almost everyone that watches The Walking Dead hates this creep, he kept heads in a jar in some room, he chained his zombie daughter up in his closet, and he plotted to kill everyone at the prison. Outside of being some closet tyrant, we have seen this dude get stabbed in the face with a sword, and fight off a ridiculous amount of zombies while chasing after Andrea. Let’s be honest, the Governors time is coming to an end, however he should have died awhile ago.

3. Shane

Shane, Shane, Shane, the macho lunatic that let the walkers out of the barn. Not only did Shane have an affair with Rick’s wife Lorie, but he began to claim Rick’s family as his own. Shane had a cold personality and he was willing to kill Rick to secure himself as the leader of the group and to become a family man. Let’s be honest, outside of all the times he avoided death by zombie, Rick should have killed Shane a long time ago.

2. Hershel

Ahh Hershel, I wasn’t a huge fan of him at first, but he has grown on me. This unfortunately happens to be another case of, lose a limb = you should be dead. Let’s not forget, doctors are few and far between during the zombie apocalypse, so the odds of an amputation going well doesn’t seem possible, and the odds of an amputation going well and not getting infected is even more unlikely. Let’s be honest, Hershel would have died when he was bitten, he would have lost too much blood when his leg was cut off, or his leg would have became infected and he would of died a slow, painful, diseased death.

1. Carl

Carl is my number one character that should not be alive in The Walking Dead. It’s not that I don’t like children in the zombie apocalypse, however, Carl got shot in the chest with a high powered rifle. Most people would not survive getting shot in the chest with a high powered rifle if we were in a world where you can receive proper medical attention, let alone the zombie apocalypse. I know I sound like a broken record, but no medical attention + getting shot in the chest with a high powered rifle = death.

Thanks for checking out my list of the five people that should be dead, or should have died earlier than they did in The Walking Dead.

I’ve been very bad about posting updates this month (still luxuriating in the aftermath of my Doctor Who marathon), but here’s some TV news from the month of January!

Doctor Who alum Alex Kingston (River Song) will appear on multiple episodes of Arrow as Laurel Lance’s mother, Dinah. Fans of the Green Arrow comic books know she’s the original Black Canary, so it’s possible she and Oliver Queen may come to blows. Might she also share a scene with fellow Who alum John Barrowman?

Series 7 of Doctor Who resumes March 30th on both BBC1 and BBC America. I’m so glad they’re not making us wait for the episodes after they air in Great Britain!

Bones secured an early renewal for another season, and showrunner Hart Hanson has a pilot order with CBS for an additional show. Unfortunately, the premise doesn’t interest me in the least, but he did amazing with The Finder, so who knows?

Speaking of The Finder, its lead actor Geoff Stults has been reoccurring on Ben and Kate, but FOX has pulled that from the schedule. At least he showed up in the last-episode-before-likely-cancellation-burnoff, though it was in a manner that indicated he won’t return. I really hope Stults finds an awesome pilot this season, though I’m thinking he might want to avoid FOX. I know I’ve become a bit wary of any shows airing on that network. If bubble show The Mindy Project doesn’t make it, I’ll only have two returning shows to watch on FOX this fall: Bones and New Girl.

Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 has also been pulled from the schedule, effectively canceling the show, and instead viewers will get a double dose of bubble show Happy Endings. I still don’t know why ABC, FOX, and NBC all scheduled a comedy block for Tuesdays at 9, but clearly, ABC lost that battle. A pity, since I enjoy both shows, but the writing’s been on the wall for a while.

Another blow was the cancellation of Syfy’s Alphas, particularly galling since season two ended with a cliffhanger. One of the best-acted shows around, its powers-with-limitations approach worked very well. I’ll be keeping an eye out for these actors in the future (especially Ryan Cartwright, who led me to the show from Bones). Poor Summer Glau, even reoccurring on a show still brings the curse.

Broadcast networks have ordered a flurry of pilots, but since most of what we know about them is a paragraph description, it’s hard to tell which ones I’ll be checking out if they make it to series. The CW is giving The Selection another go after sending the first pilot back for retooling, and The Vampire Diaries may be getting a spinoff – The Originals (featuring Klaus, Elijah, and Haley from TVD). FOX is looking at Delirium, based on a YA trilogy about a world where love has been eradicated by a special procedure people get at age 18.

Doctor Who stars David Tennant (the Doctor in series 2-4) and Arthur Darvill (who appeared in series 5-7) will both appear in the eight-part British drama Broadchurch. Deadline shares: “Broadchurch explores what happens to a small community when it suddenly becomes the focus of a major murder investigation and is subjected to the full glare of the media spotlight.”

ITV will air the show this spring, and BBC America will broadcast it later this year.

Since I just caught up on Doctor Who, it’s awesome that two of my favorite actors from the show, who never appeared in an episode together, will both star in this drama!

Both good news and bad news popped on the radar last night. For the good, How I Met Your Mother was renewed for a ninth season! Jason Segel had decided to not to do another season, but at the last moment he changed his mind. I’m kind of hoping the show reveals the mother at the end of this season, and we get to see her and Ted’s relationship in the ninth season, but who knows what the show’s creators have up their sleeves?

Sad news for Leverage fans, though – the show has been canceled, and Christmas Day’s season five finale will be the series finale. Executive producer Dean Devlin had stated that they “decided to end this season with the episode we had planned to make to end the series, way back when we shot the pilot. So, the episode that will air on Christmas is, in fact, the series finale we had always envisioned.” Leverage’s “The Ho Ho Ho Job” is currently winning our poll for favorite Christmas episode. While I still love the show, I have to admit that a few of the later episodes haven’t been as compelling (though the finale looks like it’s going to be awesome!). I’ll be kind of sad if the show ends without us finding out Sophie’s real name, or without Eliot finding someone (poor dude has been the odd man out now that Nate and Sophie and Hardison and Parker are together). And I look forward to seeing where the actors end up next year!

Also renewed – Psych! It’s been given a season 8 before season 7 has even begun to air. It’s only an 8-episode season, though (a shorter season sometimes indicates a final season, but they haven’t stated it’s the final one). That may be to get the show on a different schedule, as what used to be a summer show was pushed back to a fall, and now a late winter, start.

Other news: the final main actor (Chloe Bennet) for the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot has been cast, and she’s another newbie to the Whedonverse, making Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson) the only Whedonverse actor to have a regular role in the show. Speaking of the ‘Verse, Jewel Staite’s show The L.A. Complex has been canceled by the CW (it was previously canceled on its original Canadian broadcast channel, but it’s dismal US ratings made it unlikely to be saved by the CW).

The CW seems to be moving away from glitz and glamour and toward grittier drama with an archery bent (and who wouldn’t, after Arrow’s success?). The network has just ordered a script for Sherwood, a period drama about a noblewoman who joins up with Robin Hood and his merry men as she tries to find and free her serf boyfriend.

On the network’s Beauty and the Beast, Sendhil Ramamurthy (Covert Affairs, Heroes) will reoccur as an ambitious assistant district attorney determined to find the vigilante (aka Vincent) who’s been stalking the streets.

AMC has renewed The Walking Dead for season 4 (big surprise), but Glen Mazzara is stepping down as showrunner.

Brian Klugman is joining Bones as a new squintern, as some of that weird, brillant group will possibly depart for other projects.

The CW has just announced that midseason thriller Cult will debut Tuesday, February 19th, taking Emily Owens, MD’s 9pm slot. This show-within-a-show follows Jeff (The Vampire Diaries’ Matt Davis) as he investigates a show (also) called Cult, whose fanatical followers may have had something to do with his brother’s disappearance. Check out the video preview:

As previously announced, the CW’s other midseason show, The Carrie Diaries, will begin Monday, January 14th, at 8pm, pushing 90210 to 9pm.

ABC is moving Suburgatory to its old 8:30 slot, and premiering How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) at 9:30, both on April 3. When Suburgatory finishes its season, The Family Tools will get a (very) late spring debut on May 1st at 8:30. I assume that means The Neighbors’ freshman run ends in March?

On the drama side, ABC is neatly fitting its midseason shows into the slots held by its canceled shows. Body of Proof will return to take Private Practice’s Tuesdays-at-10 spot, Red Widow will replace 666 Park Avenue Sundays at 10 (after a 9-11 two hour premiere March 3, and Zero Hour drew the short straw and got Last Resort’s doomed 8pm-on-Thursdays-where-ABC-shows-die spot starting February 14th (I’m predicting it will do about as well as Missing – though who knows, maybe all the guys without Valentine’s dates will tune in for the premiere).

Syfy also announced midseason programming, with 3 scripted dramas to premiere Monday, January 14. Canada time-travel police drama Continuum makes its US debut at 8pm, Being Human returns for season 3 at 9pm, and season of Lost Girl kicks off at 10pm. Also, the final season of Merlin makes its way across the pond on January 4th at 10.

TNT drama pilot Legends has a new lead after Brendon Fraser left the role, and it’s someone who two kinds of fantasy fans can get excited about – Sean Bean! The Lord of the Rings and Games of Thrones actor will play a deep-cover operative with an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job.

What do you plan to watch in 2013? Does Sean Bean’s casting make you more likely to check out Legends if it makes it to series?

Grimm is scheduled to finally return March 8th, giving the show an almost-four-month hiatus (after such a nasty cliffhanger, that’s pretty mean). The reason for the late return? Rock Center is moving to Fridays, to make room for NBC’s midseason drama Do No Harm, which will give Elementary and Scandal some competition Thursdays at 10pm. Do No Harm premieres January 31st, and focuses on a brilliant neurosurgeon with a sociopathic alter ego that he’s kept in check for years using a powerful sedative. Now his alter ego has developed a resistance to the experimental serum, and is bent on revenge against the person who kept him caged for so long.

Good news for Necessary Roughness fans – USA renewed the show for a third season.

Disappointed at the lack of Whedonverse vets joining S.H.I.E.L.D? (Aside from Clark Gregg, of course, but he’s a recent addition to the ‘Verse.) ABC president Paul Lee does have some encouraging words: “It’s very Joss Whedon,” Lee told TVLine. “We’re optimistic, because Joss is a genius and we love the idea and we love what we’ve seen,” Lee added. “But it’s early days, and it’s a long way to go between now and a successful series. But we are very excited about it.”

The CW has officially canceled Emily Owens, MD – the freshman show will air all of its 13-episode initial order. The Mob Doctor has also coded, but less officially – Fox declined to order additional episodes for the show, and is burning off the final four episodes around New Year’s. Both shows had terrible ratings, so their demise was expected. With Private Practice ending as well, these season has not been kind to medical dramas. The CW will still have Hart of Dixie in the genre, but The Mob Doctor did a poor job at trying to fill the Monday void left by House.

Speaking of House, Hugh Laurie is close to a deal to play Blackbeard in NBC’s 10-episode pirate drama Crossbones. Yes, I could totally see him as a pirate! NBC has also ordered a period pilot, The Gilded Age, from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.

Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue have enough time to tweak their final episodes, so fans of the shows will get some closure when the two shows end.

ABC’s two November-debut comedies (sophomore Last Man Standing and freshman Malibu Country) have been picked up for their back five episodes (instead of nine, due to their late starts). Also, Fox’s Touch has been moved to Fridays and will air a two-hour debut February 8th.

Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. has cast the role of Agent Grant Ward, giving it to newbie Brett Dalton. While I’m still hoping some Whedonverse vets make it into the show, I think it’s quite interesting that this guy looks like a combination of Angel (top half of his face) and Spike (bottom half). Am I the only one seeing this?

British historical fantasy show Merlin will come to a close after its currently airing 5th season, with a special 2-hour episode to wrap things up.

And I think that catches me up with at least the most important news (in my mind) that’s cropped up over the past week. What news items have YOU talking?

Amazon has some amazing deals on TV shows this weekend, so I thought I’d share them with you here. Prices are accurate at the time of posting, and I expect they’ll remain the same through the weekend, but there’s no guarantee, so order now!

The Greendale seven will become the Greendale six. Chevy Chase is leaving Community, effective immediately. The show has filmed at least 11 of its 13-episode order for this season, including the season finale (since they shot it out of order), so Pierce Hawthorne will still be around for most of season four.

Pierce might have been my least favorite character of the main seven, but I still can’t imagine the show without him!

CBS canceled newbie comedy Partners Friday afternoon, pulling the show from the schedule immediately. Also on Friday, ABC decided not to pick up the “back nine” for two of its freshman dramas, Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue, despite ordering additional scripts. Both shows will finish out their 13-episode initial orders.

None of the decisions should come as a huge surprise to anyone watching the ratings. The only show I’ll miss of the three is Last Resort, which featured a cool premise and some great actors. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy the following episodes as much as the pilot, and eventually fell behind with watching the show (partly trying to wait to watch it with a friend, partly because ABC didn’t allow Hulu to stream the show on other devices – like my Roku – and my PC was on the fritz). The pilot hinted at great characterization, but the next couple episodes drifted into stereotypes while focusing on action/plot instead. I had a strong suspicion the show might not last in the difficult Thursday 8pm slot, and as soon as I saw the premiere ratings, I knew it was only a matter of time before it ended, though I did hope for at least one full season. Now I can only hope for some sort of resolved ending.

I only caught a few clips of Partners, but I hope David Krumholtz finds a great show soon (and the same for Dichen Lachman and Autumn Reeser of Last Resort). I watched the pilot of 666 Park Avenue, and was bored, though I knew it wouldn’t be up my alley anyway. My initial take of the premise was imagining a large-scale version of Being Human, where all sorts of supernatural creatures live in relative peace and can be themselves. So the actual show’s horror take was disappointing, and having no actors I followed fervently kicked it off my list completely.